Procedure Invocation in an Integrated Computing Environment Having Both Compiled and Interpreted Code Segments

1. A machine-readable storage having stored thereon, a computer program having a plurality of code sections, the code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to call an interpreted code body to execute on a target platform, the code sections comprising: at least one calling procedure; a called procedure comprising an interpreted code body, execution of the interpreted code body requiring use of an associated interpreter; a compiled prologue conforming to an application binary interface specifying calling conventions for an operating system and processor of the target platform and associated with the called procedure, said compiled prologue being invoked by the at least one calling procedure and responsively actuating said interpreted code body causing programmatic actions defined within the interpreted code body to execute, wherein execution of the compiled prologue does not require use of an interpreter; wherein the interpreted code body of the called procedure executes upon the target platform having the application binary interface, wherein the compiled prologue actuates said interpreted code body according to specifications of the application binary interface by specifying aspects of procedure invocation including registers used for passing parameters, parameters to be passed upon a stack, constructing a stack frame for invoked procedures, and specifying return from executing the called procedure.

2. The machine-readable storage of claim 1 , wherein the compiled prologue accepts arguments passed in an execution context of the called procedure from the at least one calling procedure and conveys the arguments to the interpreted code body.

3. The machine-readable storage of claim 1 , wherein the prologue allocates stack space that is needed for the interpreted code body to execute.

4. The machine-readable storage of claim 1 , wherein the prologue constructs an activation record including at least in part initializing and saving registers needed by the interpreted code body.

5. The machine-readable storage of claim 1 , wherein the calling procedure and called procedure execute within a virtual machine, and wherein the compiled prologue executes outside the virtual machine.

6. The machine-readable storage of claim 1 , wherein the language in which the called procedure is written is abstracted from the calling procedure such that the calling procedure does not know the language in which the called procedure is written.

7. The machine-readable storage of claim 1 , wherein the interpreted code body executes within a JAVA VIRTUAL MACHINE.

8. The machine-readable storage of claim 7 , wherein the interpreted code body comprises a synchronized JAVA method, and wherein the prologue performs at least one synchronization action in the calling procedure for the synchronized JAVA method.

9. The machine-readable storage of claim 7 , wherein the prologue performs at least one action related to error handling such that exceptions thrown from native code or from java interpreted code are caught and handled in native code according to their type.

10. The machine-readable storage of claim 9 , wherein the action causes errors generated during execution of the interpreted code body to be handled by an error handling mechanism remote from the JAVA VIRTUAL MACHINE.

11. The machine-readable storage of claim 7 , wherein the interpreted code body does not include global variables and wherein states of execution threads within the JAVA VIRTUAL MACHINE associated with the called procedure and the at least one calling procedure is recorded within at least one of an execution stack and a plurality of registers that switch values in accordance with thread switches.

12. A machine-readable storage having stored thereon, a computer program having a plurality of code sections, the code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to: call a compiled program from a virtual machine using a compiled prologue that executes at least one programmatic action in a computing space outside the virtual machine as a result of the call to prepare calling conventions of an interpreted procedure in accordance with an application binary interface that is specific to an operating system and processor of a target platform hosting the virtual machine; and invoke the interpreted procedure within the virtual machine re at least one programmatic action, wherein before invoking the procedure, the at least one programmatic action alters the calling conventions to the interpreted procedure within the virtual machine to place the virtual machine in a state that permits the interpreted procedure to execute in accordance with the calling conventions of the application binary interface, wherein the at least one programmatic action conform to procedure invocation rules of the application binary interface established for the virtual machine.

13. The machine-readable storage of claim 12 , wherein the calling conventions are altered by the compiled prologue prior to invoking the interpreted procedure and include: allocating stack space within the virtual machine for local variables of the procedure; saving register values associated with a routine that called the compiled program; initializing a stack frame within the virtual machine for the procedure; initializing a class within the virtual machine for the procedure; and initializing registers within the virtual machine for the procedure.

14. The machine readable storage of claim 12 , the machine-readable storage further including code sections for causing the machine to: handle errors that occur when the procedure executes within the virtual machine using an exception handler executing outside the virtual machine, wherein the at least one programmatic action initializes the exception handler for the procedure.

15. The machine readable storage of claim 12 , wherein the machine is a mobile telephone, and wherein the code sections are executed by an operating system included within the mobile telephone.